It is quite common in the automotive industry to provide sealed electronic control modules. Such modules are useful for controlling any of the engine functions, such as air fuel ratio, ignition, fuel injection, and the like. Typically, the modules include a housing or casing having a substrate therein, positioned therein, where the substrate includes electronic components to control the various functions. The substrate could comprise a printed circuit board or flexible substrate. The substrate would include a connection mechanism adjacent to an edge thereof, where the connector is positioned adjacent an opening of the casing. The casing would thereafter be positionable adjacent to the engine, where the connector on the control module would complement a connector on the engine device to be monitored/controlled.
Such is the case in U.S. Pat. No. 5,998,738, where a flexible film substrate is provided having a plurality of electronic components including chips, diodes, etc. An electrical connector has contacts which extend through a base plate and into contact with throughholes on the flexible film. The base plate and flexible film are thereafter folded back upon each other and positioned within a housing with the connector extending out a front edge thereof.
The module described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,998,738 is difficult to manufacture, and due to the fact that the flexible film is wrapped around the housing member, the design proves difficult to properly seal.
Thus, the object of the invention is to improve upon and eliminate the shortcomings of the prior art.